Chapter 1578: Ascension (IV)

At the same time, near Red Moon Region.

A young man carrying a blade paused with puzzlement when he sensed multiple premier exalted emperors shift toward the same direction. After a moment, he grinned with surprise. Something good might have happened.

I should go take a look!

The young man vanished, flying toward Skyward.

I’m best at joining in the fun! Some nearby masters of the world have disappeared with their worlds, there’s got to be something good going on. It might even be the appearance of a fortuitous opportunity! I’ll set Red Moon aside for now and go take a look first!

He even grabbed a master of a world along the way for interrogation. The other was only a master of a mid world. It took just a few questions before the young man with a blade vanished on the spot.

......

Moments later, Red Moon major world.

The Red Moon master received word that the New Martial Human King had left Red Moon Region. He didn’t know if the person had truly left or was circulating misdirection through the intelligence networks. According to the report, the man might have gone to Skyward.

As such, the Red Moon master hesitated. News had come that Fog Mountain had sealed off Skyward major world. Given those actions, its dao universe might truly be revitalizing.

Red Moon had already lost two seventh ranks, but now even the Human King was joining the action, to say nothing of Light and Skycloud. The Human King was a premier seventh rank. If he found his fortune on Skyward, he might outright enter eighth rank.

That would be an incredible threat to the Red Moon master.

Normal seventh ranks were no match for the New Martial Human King. What should he do? The Red Moon master was highly hesitant.

Should I... go in person?

If I go in person, we would be in great trouble if this is a diversion. The Ash Emperor can mount a strong attack on Red Moon, so we need at least two seventh ranks sitting in residence here.

There were only four Red Moon seventh ranks left. Of those, two were making their way to Skyward. Should the Red Moon master call back the remaining two? Or... should he wait a bit longer?

Siren might be able to stabilize the situation.

The Red Moon master was highly conflicted as he was worried this might be a new scheme from the Human King. Ultimately, he decided to wait a bit longer. He would make a decision after word came from Skycloud and Light.

Red Moon had already sent two seventh ranks. That should steady everything for now.

I need to keep an eye on Celestial Pole and the Pagoda King instead... The Ash Emperor’s unknown whereabouts are our greatest threat! The Silver Moon king is probably looking to convene with these people. What we need to do is to capture him, seize Silver Moon, and extrapolate the location of Yin and Yang!

The Red Moon master did not have his eyes on the New Martial powerhouses. Li Hao and the rest had the wrong idea in mind. By this point, the Red Moon master no longer wished to kill a few New Martial weaklings. There was no point in that.

He wanted to take Li Hao and reel in Silver Moon! From there, he would be able to reverse engineer where the Ash Emperor was. That would enable him to kill the Ash Emperor and exterminate the New Martial main world.

That was the most important of all!

On New Martial’s side, Celestial Pole and the Pagoda King were in a known spot. Everyone was aware of them, as was the Silver Moon king. The Silver Moon king was unable to convene with other New Martial powerhouses. Only that duo was possible for him.

Therefore, no matter how great the disturbance was, the Red Moon master still decided to wait. There was no rush! He would keep a very directed eye on things.

The seventh ranks remaining at Skyward no longer had their eyes on the Sword Sovereign either, but Li Hao. The young man was yet to realize that since, in his eyes, the Sword Sovereign was more important than him.

Even if someone kept tabs on him from Red Moon, surely their goal was to kill some New Martial sixth ranks or ambush a seventh rank like the Sun God.

Not him!

But the truth was, the Red Moon master was absolutely doing this for Li Hao and Silver Moon. The Red Moon master’s goal was bigger. Killing a few people wouldn’t change anything—New Martial’s greatest threat came from its unpredictable movements.

The Ash Emperor had vanished without a trace after swallowing Yin and Yang. The enemy being in the shadows while Red Moon was a known entity was the key reason why New Martial had been cocky for so long.

......

Li Hao couldn’t pay attention to any of these changes.

In the depths of the chaos.

The young man had formed a black star that felt hollow and empty. However, just because he’d coalesced a star of emptiness didn’t mean that he could set foot into fourth rank.

The entire river was in a silent and still state. Its revitalization would be the key to setting foot into fourth rank. Li Hao had experience in this process.

The resurrection of Yuan Shuo and the rest had been a type of revitalization, not reincarnation. Their source of great dao—their dao stars— had remained. They’d simply been asleep, so that process had been a revitalization.

Only Li Hao and Lin Hongyu walked the path of life and death. Now he had a river to bring back, the sum of all the daos that he wielded.

A massive corpse next to him emanated energy. Crimson Cloud!

This body might need to be depleted in order to repair the long river. Granted, it wouldn’t be as important anymore once he reached fourth rank.

Li Hao took a deep breath. He’d obtained some comprehensions from Void, but the man’s own understanding of this dao wasn’t complete. There was a certain degree of difficulty in combining revitalization and emptiness.

The long river rippled a few times, but did not produce any strength of revitalization. Li Hao frowned, this would be more difficult than he thought.

Entering fourth rank was to set foot over a threshold, the key to one’s second metamorphosis. However, he seemed to lack an appropriate moment to start.

Is my fourth rank this hard to reach?

“There is bound to be a chaos tribulation when emptiness and revitalization come together!” A voice abruptly transmitted from one of those staring next to him. “In that case, why not combine time with it as well?

“No matter how long something is silent, there will come a day in which it reawakens. It would not be emptiness otherwise. When time flows freely, perhaps the river can reawaken by itself. That will provide the moment for you to study!”

Li Hao blinked and tilted his head. A lazy Number Two yawned when it saw Li Hao look over.

What are you looking at this cat for? Is this cat very cute?

The young man was astonished. Number Two possessed the strength of a second rank, but it could always see through certain things at a critical moment.

That was right! Time!

The smooth flow of time would enable this world to awaken. No matter how silent the emptiness was, it was not death. Revitalization was par for the course as time marched on. If he grasped that moment, he would be able to comprehend a few key points of revitalization.

“My thanks!” Li Hao collected the power of time instead of saying anything else. Thunderclouds subtly gathered in the air, not as obvious this time because he was only utilizing the regular strength of time and not borrowing abilities beyond his own reach.

The combination of emptiness and revitalization was sure to attract a chaos tribulation. If he succeeded, he’d be able to weather that tribulation in one go as he set foot into fourth rank. That would save him some time.

Time flowed swiftly; the young man observed the changes in the river. There were no signs of its awakening.

Perhaps not enough time had passed.

More thunderclouds gathered in the void, but Li Hao ignored them. He’d witnessed even a seventh rank tribulation before. If the one currently forming came to be, it would only be of fourth rank. He could shatter even a seventh rank tribulation, what did he care about this?

𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

If he ascended, he would easily break this!

It was Gan Wuliang who had his heart in his mouth, thinking that he’d be smote to death sooner or later.

Time passed, second by second.

The power of emptiness in the river began to disperse and stars shimmered with light. The energy was very faint, like it was awakening from a long slumber.

Joy dawned in Li Hao’s eyes. This was the first time that the power of time was giving him critical help in comprehending dao. This was its first use outside of killing people.

Time itself is a dao, using it as a weapon is only secondary. I should use it less to kill people and more to comprehend dao...

A new enlightenment dawned in Li Hao’s heart. The end of emptiness was revitalization, just like the birth of new life was at the end of death. There seemed to be a great connection between the two; they were similar daos. Perhaps he would have extra gains this time.

Stars began to awaken with new activity and surges of a unique power of revitalization were born in the long river. Light twinkled out of the silent stars over it.

The end of emptiness was revitalization. The river shook! The power of a myriad daos quickly began to recover.

A thundercloud swiftly materialized overhead as well. Li Hao moved with the energy he sensed in his body. Numerous kinds of power began to gather in himself, bathing him in a unique energy as he began his breakthrough.

Gan Wuliang, Panther, and Number Two breathed sighs of relief. The process was going well. As for the thunderclouds overhead, they would’ve cried from horror before.

But now, they seem used to the phenomenon. This was just a small detail. They’d taken care of even seventh rank tribulations. What did a fourth, or even fifth rank, matter?

Li Hao’s river of life and death quickly began to change. It was no longer powered by life and death, but another two kinds of strength. The waters roared as the two new daos began to combine.

Li Hao was ascending again. Fourth rank!

......

Life and death, emptiness, resurrection.

The integration of great daos, the materialization of the stars, the ripples of the river.

Thunderclouds loomed in the chaos. The chaos tribulation was upon them once more!

Gan Wuliang and the others felt that everything was finally on the right track, but Number Two suddenly swung its head in a certain direction with a look of resignation. Li Hao was such a magnet for trouble!

Powerhouses were incoming!

This guy was always accompanied by tribulation clouds whenever he broke through. As vast as the chaos was, the appearance of a chaos tribulation always drew attention.

They were in trouble now!

Gan Wuliang sensed it as well, a few moments after Number Two. He turned his head for a look and suffered a jolt to the heart. There was a cultivator floating through the void.

He also seemed surprised and astonished; the man cast a glance in their direction.

It was only one look, but the hearts of Number Two and the others skipped a beat.

So strong!